How utterly idiotic I felt every time I recalled having been so completely taken in by that German, Maitis. There was no one more foolish than myself.

Especially when, after we’d finished questioning him, Maitis had volunteered that we could find the answers, the truth behind the Gold Eye and Silver Pearl, if we just kept pressing forward. My mind rushed ahead; without thinking twice, I followed him blindly. Old Li, always so steady and seasoned, asked no questions and said little, trailing right behind.

Maitis knew a great deal, so he was the perfect guide, and he seemed rather proud of this role. His tone unconsciously dripped with arrogance: “Luo Lian, Li Zeng. We are now at the entrance to a tunnel.” As he spoke, he fumbled through his pockets, searching for something, but after a lengthy search, he found nothing of consequence. Still haughty, he declared, “A pity, the map is missing…”

A map? I wondered to myself. Did they actually manage to chart this place? Surely not, in such a clandestine location.

“Never mind, even without the map, I should recall the general layout,” Maitis asserted loftily. “Li Zeng, there should be a door just behind your right shoulder; let’s check it out first.” With that, he led the way around behind Old Li.

When we looked, there indeed was the vague outline of a rock formation shaped like a door. At first, I thought that was the end of the line here and didn’t pay it much attention. Seeing Maitis point to that door, I couldn't help but chastise myself for my carelessness—never looking at anything closely, only realizing things when someone pointed them out.

Maitis, of course, couldn't know my thoughts. He spoke with a showy air: “This door, it’s actually no trouble to open at all, watch this…” As he spoke, he reached out and gave it a gentle push. The door opened soundlessly and effortlessly. It was pitch black inside, with no sound whatsoever.

“See?” Maitis looked at Old Li and me with a knowing half-smile. His attitude finally ignited my anger. I detest people who try to show off. “I see it, so what? If you’re so capable, you go in first and show us.” I retorted sourly. Besides, based on my past experiences, these kinds of openings usually harbored demons or ghosts if not outright monsters. Provocation was rarely a bad tactic.

Maitis turned back with a look of disdain: “Why should I go first? Why don't you two enter? In the end, you Chinese are just cowards…”

Now he had truly struck a nerve. My eyes blazed with fury. “Say that again about Chinese people!” As I spoke, I clenched my fists, took a step forward, ready to strike him the moment he repeated himself!

“Enough, enough,” Old Li surprisingly acted as the mediator. While holding me back to prevent a fight, he said to Maitis, “Maitis, why generalize like that? In China, a man who speaks like you deserves a beating.”

Maitis didn't even look at him, merely snorted through his nose, then stated, “According to our precise map, this should just be a normal tunnel inside, nothing like those man-faced monsters.”

“Then you go in first,” I grumbled stubbornly.

“Of course, what problem is that? Even though I’m not a soldier, I’m not cowardly to that extent. I’m just worried… that some people won't dare to follow right behind.” Having said that, Maitis shot Old Li and me a meaningful glance, tucked his hands behind his back, and walked inside.

Neither Old Li nor I were the timid sort, so without a word, we immediately followed him in.

Old Li was still holding the searchlight, but the beam seemed obstructed inside the cavern, unable to penetrate far. It could only illuminate about a meter ahead; beyond that, everything was invisible, as if the air were thick and dense, enveloping everything. None of the three of us spoke, cautiously huddling close together, shuffling our feet forward slowly.

After walking for a while, no monsters appeared, nor did we notice anything strange. My heart finally settled. I even planned to thoroughly mock Maitis if there was nothing in this cave—wasn't he always so arrogant and eager to flaunt himself?

Lost in thought, I didn’t watch my footing. As I walked, suddenly my foot found empty air. Startled, I instinctively reached out to grab Old Li, but the speed of my descent was terrifyingly fast. My grab missed its mark, and before I could fully process it, all I heard was the rushing wind beside my ears.

“Help! Help!” I screamed.

No one answered. Before me was absolute darkness, cold wind whipping past my ears. Where would I land? Was this a trap set by Maitis to kill us? Or was someone else playing games? A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind; I forgot even to struggle, letting myself fall straight down like a broken kite...

...Thud! I heard the sound of my own impact before I felt the pain—a sharp, throbbing pain throughout my body. Dizzy and disoriented, before I could check if any of my parts were missing, I saw a scene one or two meters in front of me that was terribly, terribly familiar: Maitis and his companion, Siegfried, who had been killed by that large-mouthed monster, were both hunched over, digging a large pit. They occasionally exchanged a few words and laughs, and though they spoke German, I clearly understood their conversation was about dropping me and Old Li down to our deaths...

But wasn't Siegfried dead? Or had I misremembered his face? Was the man digging with Maitis not him? And Maitis—we had searched him thoroughly, he had nothing on him, so where did he get a shovel? Hadn’t he been walking right beside me? How could he be so far ahead?

...I was still feeling dizzy, but I couldn't afford to dwell on it. Ignoring the intense pain, I struggled to stand and walked toward them. I had to see what was going on. Yet, as I walked in that direction, the situation shifted again. The face of the man who was clearly Siegfried began to blur. Upon closer inspection, it looked like Siegfried, yet not quite. And Maitis, the shovel in his hand, also seemed indistinct, an almost-but-not-quite image.

“Maitis?” I called out tentatively. When I opened my mouth, I tasted a faint metallic sweetness—had I suffered internal injuries and coughed up blood? I wiped my lip with my hand and indeed found some bloodstains, but they seemed strangely ethereal, as if my fingers were covered in a sheet of plastic wrap. Something felt fundamentally wrong, and a dull ache started in my chest.

At that point, I couldn't worry about Maitis anymore. I quickly sat down on the spot to rest. I didn't know which of my internal organs might have been damaged; moving recklessly could easily prove fatal.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The pain in my chest intensified. “Sit for a while, relax… it’s fine…” I kept feeding myself positive affirmations. I understood better than anyone the supportive power of the subconscious; as long as I could stay conscious, resting should give me the strength to scream for help.

After a moment, I opened my eyes again. Maitis and Siegfried were gone. In their place was myself, standing one or two meters away. I saw myself sitting there, looking panicked, yet desperately trying to stay composed while murmuring reassurances: “It’s fine, it’s fine… hold on! Relax!”

I was too shocked to even feel fear—had my soul left my body? Thinking this, the 'me' in front of me also visibly changed expression, looking a mix of terror and wonder.

Now, I completely forgot the pain from my internal injuries. I swayed and stood up, walking toward my double. Though only a meter or two away, the walk felt incredibly strenuous—when one sees oneself, does one have the courage to rush forward?

At least, I didn't. With every step I took, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind: was the person ahead the past me, the me about to happen, or just my specter? As I pondered this, I stared at that ‘me,’ knowing it was myself, yet its features remained blurred.

Suddenly, for no discernible reason, a thought struck me, and I called out to the ‘me’: “Hey! Are you Luo Lian? I am!” As soon as I shouted, I realized the metallic sweetness of blood was gone from my mouth, and the ache in my chest had vanished... But that ‘me’ remained fixed one or two meters away, unapproachable no matter how I walked, and its complexion looked much better.

Instantly, my heart relaxed. It wasn't internal injury; I’d just coughed up a little blood. It was nothing. As soon as I felt okay, I immediately thought of Old Li—how was he? He must have fallen down with me. I had seen Maitis and Siegfried digging the pit, planning to drop us.

Wait! My mind snapped awake with a jolt! How could I have seen Maitis and his companion digging that pit? How could I have witnessed that scene? Even if they were digging, that was something that had already happened in the past! Realizing this, I knew I had fallen into some strange illusion again. Old Li was gone too. What was I to do? I was instantly lost, thrown into utter chaos.

“Old Li… Old Li…” My voice was so laced with despair that it wouldn't come out. I desperately hoped Old Li had fallen down with me, but I had no idea if he was alive or dead. I clung to the near-impossible hope that he was fine and would soon meet up with me, though the actual likelihood of that was near zero.

As I considered this, a new oddity manifested before my eyes. I truly saw Old Li. I watched helplessly as he too fell down, struggling frantically, his face contorted in terror. His body plummeted straight down like a lead weight into a dark, unseen abyss, landing there motionless. His mouth opened and closed, calling out to me: “Technician Luo…” Though no sound reached me, I knew perfectly well he was calling my name!

“Old Li! Old Li! I’m here!” I sprinted towards him, shouting his name aloud!

Old Li seemed to hear my cry. He opened his eyes slightly, looking at me with relief as I rushed toward him. “Technician Luo, we are good brothers.” His mouth moved, still silently, but I knew he meant to say it.

But... this time, I ran with almost all my might. A distance of two meters should have been covered in an instant; at that speed, I should have collided right into Old Li. Yet... I felt like I had run a great distance, but Old Li remained just a meter or two ahead, looking at me with expectation, waiting for me to hurry over and help him.

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